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Update | May 8, 2026 — This is a follow-up to our earlier report on the Liuyang fireworks factory explosion.

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Death Toll Keeps Rising

What began as a reported 21 casualties on Monday evening has now grown into one of China's deadliest industrial accidents in years. As of Friday noon local time, 37 people have been confirmed dead, one person remains missing, and 51 others are still being treated in hospitals — five of them in critical but stable condition.

The blast is now the deadliest reported in China since 2019. For comparison, a chemical plant explosion in Jiangsu Province that year killed 78 people.

Search and Rescue Declared Complete

Authorities deployed over 1,500 personnel — including firefighters, rescue teams, medics and police — to carry out rescue operations. Subsequent rounds of thorough on-site searches confirmed the final casualty figures.

Eighteen unmanned drones and robots were used to comb the area for hazards and help defuse them. Authorities had also evacuated surrounding areas due to the risk posed by highly combustible black powder stored in two warehouses on the factory grounds.

Eight Suspects Detained, Top Prosecutors Involved

The legal response has been swift and unusually high-profile. Police have summoned eight people on suspicion of negligence leading to the accident. The investigation is now under the supervision of China's top prosecutors, and the State Council — China's cabinet — has established a dedicated investigation team to examine the case.

Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing personally led senior officials in overseeing the emergency rescue and response operations. President Xi Jinping had previously called for a prompt investigation and demanded accountability for those responsible.

All Liuyang Fireworks Plants Suspended

In a significant industry-wide response, Hunan Province has ordered the suspension of all fireworks manufacturing operations in Liuyang for safety inspections. Given that Liuyang produces around 60 percent of China's domestic fireworks supply and roughly 70 percent of its exports, the shutdown has immediate implications for global pyrotechnics supply chains.

How long the suspension will last and what specific safety criteria plants must meet before resuming operations has not yet been publicly announced.

A Pattern That Won't Go Away

This disaster underscores what safety advocates have long warned: regulatory campaigns in China's fireworks industry have repeatedly failed to translate into lasting on-the-ground change. In February this year, China also reported two deadly explosions at fireworks shops around the Lunar New Year period. In June 2025, a separate explosion at a fireworks factory elsewhere in Hunan killed nine people.

The Liuyang blast — the deadliest in the sector in years — raises urgent questions about whether periodic crackdowns are sufficient, or whether the industry requires a fundamental structural overhaul to end what critics describe as a cycle of accidents, cover-ups, and inadequate enforcement.

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Sources:

1. Reuters / MarketScreener — Death toll rises to 37 in China fireworks factory blast (May 8, 2026): https://www.marketscreener.com/news/death-toll-rises-to-37-in-china-fireworks-factory-blast-ce7f5bdade8ef723
2. AP / ABC News — Death toll from explosion at fireworks plant in China rises to 37 (May 8, 2026): https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/death-toll-explosion-fireworks-plant-china-rises-37-132771966
3. Xinhua (English) — Death toll rises to 37 in central China fireworks plant explosion (May 8, 2026): https://english.news.cn/20260508/10defa6530f24e4cbcbb1c12c34a16c4/c.html
4. LBC News — Death toll rises to 37 and one person missing after Chinese fireworks factory blast (May 8, 2026): https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/death-toll-chinese-fireworks-factory-explosion-5HjdYqk_2/

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